A portrait of a Maori man done by New Zealand artist, Charles Frederick Goldie. Conceptually not a far cry from the portraits done by Edward Curtis of Native Americans...depicting the Maori as a tragecially stoic and forlorn, contemplating their inevitable cultural demise....HOGWASH!
The entrance to a Marae built in the 1850s on the North Island and transferred to the museum...for circumstance which are not clear. Hmmmmm.
A view of the Marae from the back, as this site is 'tapu' (sacred) don't forget to take off your shoes and exhibit reverence for the site...after all the house itself is considered a living ancestor...and for most 'iwi' the progenitor of their particular group.
In addition to 'moka', the classic facial tattooing the Maori known for and can be found on cheesy postcards shipped worldwide, some 'iwi' practiced tattooing on the buttocks and thighs. I found this vantage point to be particularly pleasing to the eye, giving you a glimpse of the 'tiki' adorning the spine of the roof which depict the Maori creation story....WELL WORTH LOOKING UP!! Any culture that epistemologically roots the mortality of humanity in a failed attempt by a trickster demi-god to crawl into an obsidian lined vagina before being crushed between the thighs of the mother goddess is intriguing by any stretch of the imagination...
So the least I can do is keep the text updated, if abbreviated, on the photos as the pump out of my camera and direct to you. This 'tiki' guards the entryway of the Marae (traditional Maori meeting house) at the University of Auckland. Intricate wood carving is a long standing institution amongst the Maori, and this particular edifice is the result of a combined effort from representatives of 'iwi' (tribes) from around the country.
A portrait of a Maori man done by New Zealand artist, Charles Frederick Goldie. Conceptually not a far cry from the portraits done by Edward Curtis of Native Americans...depicting the Maori as a tragecially stoic and forlorn, contemplating their inevitable cultural demise....HOGWASH!
The entrance to a Marae built in the 1850s on the North Island and transferred to the museum...for circumstance which are not clear. Hmmmmm.
A view of the Marae from the back, as this site is 'tapu' (sacred) don't forget to take off your shoes and exhibit reverence for the site...after all the house itself is considered a living ancestor...and for most 'iwi' the progenitor of their particular group.
In addition to 'moka', the classic facial tattooing the Maori known for and can be found on cheesy postcards shipped worldwide, some 'iwi' practiced tattooing on the buttocks and thighs. I found this vantage point to be particularly pleasing to the eye, giving you a glimpse of the 'tiki' adorning the spine of the roof which depict the Maori creation story....WELL WORTH LOOKING UP!! Any culture that epistemologically roots the mortality of humanity in a failed attempt by a trickster demi-god to crawl into an obsidian lined vagina before being crushed between the thighs of the mother goddess is intriguing by any stretch of the imagination...
So the least I can do is keep the text updated, if abbreviated, on the photos as the pump out of my camera and direct to you. This 'tiki' guards the entryway of the Marae (traditional Maori meeting house) at the University of Auckland. Intricate wood carving is a long standing institution amongst the Maori, and this particular edifice is the result of a combined effort from representatives of 'iwi' (tribes) from around the country.
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